Appliance for preparing bodies for burial



Dec. 28, 1937. v MURRAY 2,103,376

APPLIANCE FOR PREPARING BODIES FOR BURIAL Filed May 18, 1936 mvam'on Patented Dec. 28, 1937 2,103,376 7 PREPARING BODIES FOR APPLIANCE FOR BURIAL Homer R. Murray, Fairfield, Iowa Application May 6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in appliances for preparing bodies for burial and has particular relation to that type of appliance used in preparing a human .5 distorted position after being embalmed.

After death, there is body so it will not be in a practically always a tendency in the human body for the shoulder por tions to be raised above their normal position,

certain parts out distorting the bod corrected before the is intensified as the body ration table. As rigor mortis the muscles and leaders are stiffened with of their normal place, thereby y, a condition which should be fluid for embalming is injected into the body.

The objects of such an appliance injected therein.

Further objects tion will appear from lowing description in companying drawing in Figs. 1 and 2 tively of a torso the invention are to provide for restoring and maintaining are front and rear views respechaving the appliance thereon.

Fig. 3 is a front View of a crotch-engaging memher in unfolded position.

Fig, 4 is a plan View of a shoulder-engaging member.

Figs. 5 and 6 a taken on the lines Fig. 7 is a side vi Fig. 8 is a. detailed manner of attaching certain re sectional views of the same 55 and i 43 respectively.

ew of a chin-engaging member. view showing a pin and the members to the crotch-engaging member.

Referring to the drawing, it shows a torso ll having flexible shoulders of the torso.

members l2 extending over the The members i? may be made of any suitable material and for this purpose I employ chains, and can be adjusted in With my appliance, the

manipulated and life-like position. placed over the s as they are easily handled a variety of positions. muscles of the body are the body made to assume a The members l2 are then houlders of the body and the ends thereof anchored so that the members l2 are under tension drawn down and h and the shoulders are thereby eld in that position. The mem- 18, 1936, Serial No. 80,320

bers it may be anchored in a number of ways I have shown a preferred form in the drawing wherein the members l2 are fastened to a flexible crotch-engaging member l3. In Fig. 3 of the drawing the member I3 is shown in an unfolded or straightened position before being fiexed and placed in the crotch of the torso. The ends of the member l3 are rolled so as to permita pin l 4 to be inserted therein and through the rolled position. Slotted openings l are provided in the rolled portion of the member l3 and a link It of the chain I2 is placed in each slot so that the pin i l will engage the link when inserted through the rolled portion.

The chain i2 is secured to one end of the member l3 in the manner above described and then passed over the shoulders of the body, drawn tight and then fastened to the opposite end of the member l3, and in this manner the shoulders are drawn down and back to theirnatural position and so held during the process of embalming. To prevent creasesbeing made in the shoulders as the chains are tightened, and to prevent the circulatory system from being obstructed, shoulder-engaging members ii are placed on the shoulders. These members are preferably shaped to conform to the contour of the shoulders and an eyelet I8 is provided thereon through which the chain is passed. In the drawing, Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown the members i! made of metal having portions l9 punched therein and then folded back to form the eyelet It.

The chains permit an unlimited range of adjustability so the appliance may be used on bodies of different size. In the drawing, I have shown portions of the chain designated as lZA secured at one end of the member is end provided with hooks 29. When it is desired to maintain the chains [2A in somewhat of a parallel position and to prevent the shoulder-engaging members from slipping ofi from the shoulders a supplementary chain 2i is secured on the hooks 25, as is shown in the drawing (Fig. 1). In some instances it may be advisable to use the supplementary chain 2! on the reverse side of the body, which may be readily done by placing the portions 12A on the reverse side of the body.

A chain 22 having hooks 23 on each end there- 2 moved upwardly or downwardly on the chain l2 and in this manner the proper adjustment is secured for the chin-supporting member 25. An arm support is provided, consisting of a chain 26 having hooks 21 on each end which fasten in the links of the chains l2 and IZA, and this chain is passed through an eyelet secured on an arm-supporting member 28 which is similar to the member l1.

With my appliance, when a body is distorted, occasioned by the stiffening of the muscles and leaders, such muscles and leaders are manipulated sufliciently until they become flexible and the body can be made to assume a. lifelike position. The appliance is then placed on the body as has been described herein and the body held in that position by the appliance so the embalming process can be proceeded with and such position maintained as a result of the embalming. In using such an appliance, there is nothing connected therewith that will interfere or block the circulatory system to prevent the fluid from freely passing therethrough. After the body has been embalmed, the appliance may be easily removed by loosening the hooks. It can then be taken apart and the separate chains and members thereof sterilized.

I have described the invention with respect to a preferred form thereof and many changes and modifications may be made therein, and it is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only to the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising flexible members adapted to engage the shoulders of a body and a crotch-engaging member to which the flexible members are fastened under tension, whereby the shoulders may be drawn down and held in position during embalming.

2. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising chains adapted to engage the shoulders of a body, and a crotch-engaging member to which the chains are fastened under tension, whereby the shoulders may be drawn down and held in position, during embalming.

3. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising chains having links, said chains being adapted to engage the shoulders of a body, a crotch-engaging member provided with rolled ends having slots therein to receive the links of the chain, and pins to flt in said rolled ends and through the links of the chain to hold the chains in engagement with the crotch-engaging member.

4. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising a crotch-engaging member, a chain secured to one end of the crotch-engaging member having a hook on the opposite end of said chain and a. second chain secured to the opposite end of the crotch-engaging member adapted to extend over the shoulders of a body and be fastened on said hook, under tension, whereby the shoulders may be drawn down and held in position during embalming.

5. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising a crotch-engaging member, chains secured to one end of the crotch-engaging member having hooks on the opposite ends of said chains and a second series of chains secured to the opposite end of the crotch-engaging member adapted to extend over the shoulders of a body and be fastened on said hooks, under tension, whereby the shoulders may be drawn down and held in position during embalming.

6. An appliance for preparing bodies for burial comprising a crotch-engaging member, flexible members secured at one end of said crotchengaging member and adapted to extend over the shoulders of a body and be adjustably secured to the opposite end of said member, and shoulder engaging means associated with said flexible members to prevent creases being made in the shoulders of a body and the circulatory system therein from being obstructed.

HOMER R. MURRAY. 

